Let me put on my asbestos suit...
I have just gotten started in Ham radio compared to some on this reflector
(just a little more than a year), so I do not have the sage wisdom shown by
some, but...
But, I have sent a QSL to almost EVERY contact I have made, whether I needed
the QSL or not. I have a 2" stack of cards for California, for example.
I pay to have my cards printed and mailed. All I ask is that you do the same.
I don't NEED any QSL cards, but I LIKE to have them. If I never get WAS,
that's fine. But I do like to see an acknowledgement on paper that my signal
was received, and I like the personal notes that accompany the cards on
occasion, and I like to flip through the hundreds of cards I have received in
the one year I have been hamming, just to enjoy them.
I have never sent an SASE unless it was a special event, or I was asked to send
one. No one ever told me to send an SASE. I am sure if the ARRL put a note in
its Intro to Ham Radio books, you would see NO new hams sending QSLs, or at
least VERY few. I thought it was a courtesy to send the QSL. I don't charge
people to say thank you.
Hoever, If I thought this attitude was the majority opinion, I would stop
QSLing altogether.
If you are experiencing economic difficulty and cannot spare $.20 for a QSL
card, please hang on to my card and remember to return one when times get
better, and if they don't, please enjoy my card. I sent it for YOU, not for
ME. If you don't want to send me one, I understand, but please do not refer to
me as rude or unfeeling because I don't understand YOUR situtation. My card to
you is a thank you. Take it as a gift, you are welcome to it. But don't feel
OBLIGED to return one, only return one if you would LIKE to.
If you need me to pay for a thank you, you are QSLing for the wrong reasons.
There are more hams today than in the fifties, this is true, but how many have
gotten on HF. I know people who have upgraded and will not turn on HF rigs
because of the discourteous behavior of many. My advice to them has been to
try CW. I takes to much effort at slow code speeds to be rude.
Brian
KB0YXP
If you respond to this in a personal message, please send it to brnsmth@i1.net,
not the address listed above.
--
CQ-Contest on WWW: http://www.contesting.com/_cq-contest/
Administrative requests: cq-contest-REQUEST@contesting.com
|